One Step at a Time
by DramaLexy
Summary: .'What was that for' he asked. 'Living. One step at a time.' Teyla
1. Prologue

TITLE: One Step at a Time

AUTHOR: DramaLexy

SUMMARY: "What was that for?" "Living. One step at a time." Teyla&Ronon

DISCLAIMER: If they were mine...we probably shouldn't go there. Me no own, you no sue.

A/N: My first attempt at a Teyla/Ronon story. Begins post-Sateda. I threw in the Athosians, too, because we don't see them enough. R&R, please – reviews make story come faster.

* * *

Ronon couldn't help lingering in the doorway of one of Atlantis's training rooms to watch the vision in front of him. As easy as it would have been to grab a stick and fluidly become the other half of the one-sided battle going on, he preferred to hang back and observe Teyla as she moved with graceful steps, her skirt fluttering about her legs. He was always paying attention to her when they fought – the alternative would probably be painful – but he never got to watch like this, to see every aspect of her abilities. 

She finally stopped, facing him with her left eyebrow raised in question. "Dr. Beckett has released you from the infirmary?"

Ronon smiled. "More or less." Which meant no.

"Are you sure that this would be a safe activity to partake in?"

He grabbed a stick. "Safe for whom?"

Teyla grinned, parrying his first strike. She held back slightly in the beginning, unsure whether or not Ronon should actually have been confined in a bed instead of training with her, but he was going full-force, not even favoring his injured leg. He brought her to the ground unusually quickly.

"Convinced yet?" Ronon asked as he offered a hand to help her up. She ignored his hand, getting up on her own. He just smiled, swinging for her as soon as she was standing.

They 'danced' together, sticks clashing, knocking each other to the floor and picking themselves back up again. Ronon never would have thought he could have found an equal in someone so much smaller than himself.

"Did you really keep Sheppard from killing the Wraith?" he asked at one point. Surprised, Teyla made sure she kept herself out of arm's reach as she inquired,

"What?"

Ronon stood down, now wanting a serious answer instead of a sparring match. "Did you really think I would kill him if he took out that Wraith?"

"No. However, I was unsure if you would be able to forgive him. I understood your motivations in that battle, Ronon." He nodded once, a bit disbelieving. "I nearly went on such a quest of my own when my father was taken." That got his attention.

"What happened?" he asked, handing her a water bottle.

"I was barely old enough to be seen as an adult. I certainly did not feel ready to fill his role among our people. I wanted nothing more than to bring him back – or kill anyone who came between us. I almost left Athos, to embark on some foolish undertaking that surely would have resulted in my death."

Ronon smiled. "Who stopped you?"

"Halling. He found me in the woods, took me to his home. His son was only a yearling, and now was without a mother. All of my people had suffered losses, and together was the only way that we would survive. We took care of each other…just like the people of this city." That earned her a small nod. Ronon picked up his stick again, getting back into the game.

"If it had been Sheppard," he said as they moved to the center of the room, "I might have killed him. Or at least scared him a bit."

He enjoyed hearing Teyla laugh.

* * *

TBC... 


	2. Chapter 1

A few days later, Teyla got word that Halling and a few of the other leaders on the mainland wanted to talk with her. Beckett volunteered to fly; he wanted to go check on some patients anyway. As Teyla loaded a couple packs of supplies into the back of Jumper 2, she was surprised to see Ronon come into the puddle jumper bay.

"Got an extra seat?" he asked her.

Teyla smiled. "We are only going to the mainland."

"That still gets me out of the city."

She nodded, appreciative of his cabin fever. "Yes, I do not see a problem with having another passenger."

Beckett smiled from his place in the pilot's seat. "We should be back in time for dinner."

"Well, then, let's get going."

They finished stowing everything and opened the roof of the jumper bay. Beckett's flying skills had improved with time; they easily glided away from the city and toward the planet's sole continent.

The small craft landed at the outskirts of the settlement, and as Teyla opened the rear hatch she could see many of the children approaching as fast as their legs could carry them. They drew up short, however, upon seeing Ronon exit the Jumper beside her.

"Are you a warrior?" Wex finally asked him, stepping forward. Ronon gave Teyla a look.

"Yes, he is," she told the children. "Ronon is one of my teammates in the city of the ancestors."

"Show us how you fight!" another child demanded, and others cheered in agreement. Teyla smiled at the uncomfortable look in his face.

"You're not seriously – " he started as she began to step away, but her smile grew wider.

"You'll be fine," she said. "Oh, and no knives." Beckett also offered him a grin as they left Ronon with the eager children and made their way towards the middle of the settlement.

Ronon turned to the nearly dozen kids that surrounded him. "Have any of you been trained to fight?" A few hands were raised, belonging to the eldest ones of the group. "All right. Let's see what you've got."

* * *

Teyla's meeting mainly dealt with that year's harvest and hunts and scheduling future trips off-world so that their trade relations could be continued. She enjoyed the opportunity to have a drink and conversation with her people; being away from them hadn't grown easier with time. 

"We saw you did not come alone," one of the men, pointed out as they began to wrap up their official business. Teyla smiled at him.

"Dr. Beckett wanted to see some of his patients," she explained.

"That is not who I speak of, and you are well aware," he replied.

"Ronon requested to come along. He still has not adjusted to remaining in a single location for so long."

"So you have not taken him as your – "

"No," Teyla cut Halling off before he could finish his sentence. "No, I have not."

"We are beginning to lose hope, child, of you ever settling down," one of the elderly men in the tent told her with a smile. Teyla shrugged slightly.

"Perhaps one day," was all she said in response.

* * *

Once they were finished, Teyla found Beckett and Ronon and told them to go ahead and prepare to leave. She had one more thing she needed to take care of and wanted to do it alone. She found Jinto playing with Wex, as usual, the boys chasing each other around the trees at the edge of the settlement. 

"I have something for you," she told the older of the two. Jinto sat down with her on a large rock as Wex headed for home. "Your father has shown you well how to grow up to be a smart and strong man. You have earned a right to these." She pulled two sticks from her bag and handed them to him.

"Father has said I can be trained?" Jinto asked, his eyes bright with excitement.

"He has." The boy threw his arms around her, making Teyla laugh.

"Thank you."

She nodded. "The next time you come to Atlantis, I want to see how much you have learned."

"I promise." Teyla started to get up, but Jinto caught her hand. "I like your friend," he told her.

"I will tell him as much. He would likely want to see your abilities as well."

"He is a good match for you," Jinto continued. Teyla smiled.

"Did your father encourage this?"

"He wants to see you happy. We all do."

She ruffled his hair. "I am."

Jinto smiled. "I know. He makes you smile, like my mother used to." Teyla froze at that. She didn't know how it was possible that he remembered anything about his mother, but was not going to call the boy's observation into question. Placing a hand on each of his shoulders, she bowed her head. Jinto mimicked her actions.

"Thank you," she told him before turning to meet up with Ronon and Beckett.

* * *

TBC... 


	3. Chapter 2

Teyla usually didn't spend much time thinking about her future – every day she was still alive was a gift from the ancestors. She'd never particularly desired a family, not wanting to leave behind some little child like her own mother had done, or worse, to have that child taken away from her. The Wraith had always been a fact of her existence, and only recently had her eyes been opened to a new way of life, and new people to be a part of it. She had found friends that she considered a second family, and an equal in a very unexpected place.

After returning from a mission to one of Atlantis' trade allies, Teyla was in the mood for a sparring match, but couldn't find Ronon anywhere. At the lowest level of the main spire, she finally found him in what was currently one of their least-frequented recreational facilities.

"How cold is the water?" she asked as she came to stand beside one of the tidal pools that could be used for swimming.

"Pretty damn," Ronon told her with a grin, wiping his hair out of his face. "Feels good."

"I shall take your word for it," she replied. The pools were filled with the water that Atlantis floated on, and even in the lower parts of the northern hemisphere, winter was still chilly and it was a waste of generator power to continuously heat water for the barely-utilized pools.

"You don't want to join me?" he asked, splashing some water in her direction. It just barely fell short of hitting her legs. Teyla took a step backward.

"No."

He smiled, accepting the challenge. "Come on, it's not as bad as you probably think. Once you start moving around…feels pretty good."

"Are you sure you have not gone completely numb?" she asked, earning another splash that actually got some water on her BDU pants.

"No," Ronon replied. "Come on."

"I am not going to wear my uniform in the water," she reasoned with him. "And I have nothing else here with me to swim in."

"Neither did I," he shot back. At her raised eyebrow, he added, "Wear my clothes, I mean."

"What are you wearing?" Teyla suspiciously asked.

"Will you get in if I tell you?"

"That will most certainly depend on the answer."

He pointed to a cabinet behind her. "I think there's a 'wash and return' policy." Inside, Teyla found a few different types of swimming attire, for both men and women. It had all been donated by various crewmembers for the use of those who hadn't brought swimsuits from Earth – or wherever else the city's inhabitants had come from.

Ronon chivalrously turned his back to her, and Teyla realized that despite the temperature, the water probably would be fun. She hadn't been swimming since she'd still lived on Athos. And at least the room was enclosed and heated.

"Can I turn around?" Ronon asked after a few minutes, having heard the rustle of fabric behind him stop.

"Only if you do not laugh."

He risked a glance over his shoulder. "Why would I?"

"This…is not normally what one would swim in." Ronon turned. He didn't see anything wrong with the sky blue one-piece bathing suit that she had chosen, but he assumed her tastes would typically be even more conservative. He would have loved to have seen her reaction to a couple of the other outfits in the locker.

"You look fine," he assured her. She stepped toward the edge of the pool, testing the water temperature with her foot. "Just jump in."

She hesitated, but finally obeyed. "It is freezing," Teyla sputtered as she surfaced.

Ronon laughed. "Too late now, you're already wet." She splashed him, and he threw a wall of water back. It went back and forth, each of them trying to duck the other's retaliation. Ronon finally caught Teyla's arms, successfully keeping her from hitting him in the face with more salty water. They were both laughing as he finally managed to immobilize her and on an impulse, Ronon leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers. She didn't pull back as he'd feared she would, so he deepened the kiss, steering them toward shallower water so they could both touch the bottom.

Teyla finally broke away for air, getting a moment to think about what they were doing. Would this be another complication to add to their already crazy lives, or perhaps a link to stability? "Ronon…"

He looked down at her, ready to hear her say it was a mistake, that he'd been wrong. However, that wasn't what happened. As his eyes opened, he suddenly was met with images from the destruction of his world, from the last time he'd dared to care for someone. She'd ended up a broken, bleeding, and burned mass in his arms, and he couldn't bear the vision of the same thing happening to the woman before him. He'd never been able to protect the people that mattered most to him.

Teyla turned, surprised, as he suddenly moved away from her, pushing himself up and out of the water. "Ronon!" she tried to call after him, but he quickly grabbed his things and left without a word.

* * *

TBC... (reviews make me happy and make story come faster) 


	4. Chapter 3

John had come to enjoy taking morning runs with Ronon through the city, even though he knew he was going to get his ass kicked every time. "What's on your mind, Chewie?" he asked the Satedan as they ran together the following day.

"Nothing," he grunted out.

"Oh really? Then why have we now missed the turn to head back to the transporter for the third time?" Ronon came to a stop. "What's going on with you?"

For a moment, Ronon actually considered talking to him. But he couldn't. There was a certain amount of optimism that surrounded the Earth-born residents of Atlantis like an aura. Being raised with the threat of the Wraith, living through cullings beat that optimism out of you. They didn't understand the shadow the enemy had cast over the galaxy because they'd always fought against it. If they hadn't managed to put a check in their 'Win' column, they'd certainly been able to claim a draw for each of their engagements. Ronon wondered how different he would be if he'd grown up in that kind of environment, sheltered from the rest of the universe. The only other person in the city that would understand his view was the one person he wasn't going to talk to.

"Nothing," he finally repeated, starting to run back to where they needed to go. Sheppard considered their brief exchange for a moment, and then followed. Something was definitely up. He'd figure out what later.

* * *

Elizabeth knew that her senior staff had been working extremely hard for the last few months between the Wraith, the retrovirus, and the IOA investigation. Things had hit a bit of a lull for the time being, so she suggested having a collective night off to relax and enjoy each other's company. Usually nights off meant movie showings in one of the rec rooms. 

"Who's got the popcorn?" John asked as he came in the room. Ronon handed him a bowl.

"Has we reached a consensus on a DVD yet?" Beckett inquired. Everyone just looked at each other.

"No gore," was Elizabeth's vote.

"Football," was predictably John's suggestion. "Or something with cars or planes."

"I think they stuck 'Death to Smoochy' in the latest shipment," Rodney pointed out. Everyone turned to stare at him. "What? You didn't see that movie?"

"This is one of those things you shouldn't even bother to ask about," John stage-whispered to Teyla.

She smiled. "I had a feeling that would be wise."

Through some kind of trickery that John couldn't foresee, they wound up watching a chick flick, which pleased the girls greatly and left the guys looking for something else to do during the movie. Rodney happened to have a deck of cards with him, and they started a game of Texas Hold-Em.

"You know," Elizabeth said at one point, "If you guys are going to talk straight through the movie, you might as well just let us play, too." The guys looked around at each other warily. "What?" she asked.

"We don't actually have any money to play for," Beckett pointed out. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as she shut off the movie.

"So what are you wagering?" she asked. There was a long silence as the guys decided who was going to be the brave one.

"The paperwork we give you," John finally admitted. Elizabeth threw a couch pillow at him.

"We could wager food rations?" Teyla suggested. Rodney nearly had a stroke.

"Who taught you how to play poker?" John asked her.

"I did," Elizabeth replied with a grin. "And solitaire. So are you dealing us in or not?"

"I think it would be in our best interest to give the ladies some cards," Beckett told Rodney, who was holding the deck.

"Not if we're playing for food!"

"Don't worry, McKay," Elizabeth told him. "We won't let you starve when you lose."

"Don't you mean 'if' he loses?" Ronon asked.

She grinned wickedly as she picked up her cards. "No, I meant when."

* * *

That escape from everyday life in the city was exactly what they'd all needed. By the time they finally decided to call it quits, John had picked up some extra paperwork for the next two weeks and Rodney was going to be consuming smaller meals than normal. 

Teyla wasn't expecting to find Ronon waiting for her in the hall when she came out of the rec room on her way back to her quarters. "That was a very enjoyable evening," she told him with a smile, hoping that didn't sound as awkward as she felt. She really had no idea what to expect from him.

"Yeah," he replied, falling into step with her as they walked down the hall. "Um…I'm not going to be able to make our training session tomorrow; I've got…some things to do."

Teyla nodded. "The day after, then?"

"Yeah, maybe."

She stopped outside her door. "Nothing has to change, Ronon. We are still teammates…and friends."

He finally nodded. "The day after, then," he agreed before heading toward his own quarters.

* * *

The next morning, Teyla was in the middle of a session with a couple students when she heard the door to the training room open. She wasn't expecting to see Elizabeth in the doorway. "What is it?" Teyla asked, curiosity piqued by the concern on her friend's face. 

"We just got a call from the mainland. People have started to get sick, mainly the children right now. Carson and his team are on their way in a Jumper; I thought you would want to talk to them once they've gotten a chance to do examinations."

Teyla nodded, bowing to her students to dismiss them. "Thank you," she told Elizabeth, who offered a small, sympathetic smile. After Teyla grabbed her things, they both made their way back to the command level.

* * *

TBC... 


	5. Chapter 4

"It appears to be viral," Beckett reported to Atlantis' control room via radio communication. "Most of the children and elderly have been infected, as well as a few adults. Given the lack of immuno-response, I'm inclined to believe that this came from off-world, although I won't know for certain until I run some more tests."

"Anyone who's been on the mainland could also have contracted the virus?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Aye, although I doubt the city's systems would pick it up. It seems to be quite similar to the influenza virus back on Earth. The antibodies we already have should make us more resistant."

Elizabeth glanced at the woman standing next to her. "What about Teyla and Ronon?"

"They both need to be tested. I'm sending a few members of my team back to the city to get more equipment and supplies."

"I'd like to return to the mainland with them," Teyla spoke up.

"If you haven't already been infected, my dear, you'd be putting yourself directly in harm's way," Beckett pointed out. Elizabeth knew that wasn't going to matter.

"Get checked out," she told the Athosian. "If you're still healthy, let's do everything we can to make sure you stay that way."

* * *

A few members of the science team – McKay especially – immediately began working with the city's sensor system to make sure they weren't about to have a full-fledged outbreak of their own. So far, no one in Atlantis had gotten sick and everyone wanted to keep it that way. 

Teyla and Ronon were both still healthy and both wanted to go back to the mainland to help take care of the people there. "The children must have made quite an impression on you," Teyla quietly teased him as they headed for the Jumper Bay, along with a veritable squadron of medical personnel.

He shrugged. "I've got a better chance of being useful there than here."

"You would not be useful to anyone if you were to fall ill."

Ronon smiled. "Then I guess I better not get sick."

A few of the doctors used the flight to give a better explanation of what was going on and what their plan was. They'd done their best to quarantine those that were ill in tents at one side of the settlement. Only members of the expedition were being allowed to tend to them, and even then only with protective measures in place. Some of the healthy Athosians were assisting in other ways, such as making sure they had enough water and food or keeping track of their supplies.

* * *

Beckett and Halling were waiting for the Jumper when it landed. "How many are sick?" Teyla asked them. 

"Nearly half the camp," Becket told her. "We're making sure everyone is kept hydrated and comfortable, and monitoring for new or worsening symptoms. Beyond that, I'm afraid we'll have to let it run its course."

Teyla nodded. "How is everyone else?"

"Understandably concerned," Halling answered. "We have two hunting parties that coming back today; we are trying to keep busy with preparing to assist them."

"Could you use an extra pair of hands?" Ronon asked. The other man nodded, so they headed off.

"Has anything like this happened before?" Beckett asked Teyla as they helped unload the supplies that had been brought on the jumper.

"Not in my lifetime, but in the past, there were a few plagues on Athos. It is one of the risks of traveling through the Stargate, and allowing others to come to us."

He nodded. "We're doing everything we can for your people."

Teyla offered him a smile. "And we are very grateful."

* * *

The day didn't go well; just after the first of the two hunting parties returned, word came through the settlement that one of the youngest children who had been infected had not survived. Everyone took the news hard. 

"You feel okay?" Ronon asked Teyla as he made his way over to get some water at a tent near her spot beside the fire.

"I am fine. And you?"

"Same. I guess we're pretty lucky so far."

"Have any of the others with you fallen ill?"

"A couple. Mostly ones who had kids." Ronon headed back to work, knowing the other party would soon be arriving. Teyla was putting together a box of supplies for the medical team, and was surprised to hear a voice behind her.

"Teyla?" She turned to see Jinto standing across the campfire. Wrapped up in a blanket that one of the elders had made for him years before, he looked pale and exhausted – undeniably someone who should not have been out of his tent.

"Jinto, what are you doing up?"

"Where is my father?"

"Helping the hunting parties that are returning. You should be back in bed."

"I want to see him." Knowing she shouldn't, but unable to keep herself from helping the boy, Teyla gave him a hand in steadying himself, then steered him back towards the tent where he was being treated.

"You cannot be with him right now. You must stay and listen to the doctors so that you will get well."

"Will you tell my father that I want to see him?" Jinto asked as they went inside and she helped him back onto his cot. "Please?"

"I shall," Teyla promised. "He will come to see you as soon as he can." That seemed to be enough of a comfort, and Jinto quickly fell back asleep.


	6. Chapter 5

Teyla checked on the other children to make sure they were still sleeping, and then left the tent to find Beckett. He was talking with a few of the other doctors by the campfire, and was surprised to see her on the wrong side of the 'quarantine line.'

"What is it?" he asked as she approached.

"I would like to help take care of those that are ill," she told him. "I probably have also become infected." She quickly told him what had happened with Jinto. Beckett wasn't happy about it, but there was little that could be done about it now.

His most difficult patients had been the parents who were more concerned with taking care of their children instead of themselves, so he enlisted Teyla's help in trying to pacify them.

* * *

"Have you seen Darin and Vasir?" one mother asked of her sons as Teyla brought her some food and water.

"I have. They are with Jinto and Wex; they will be fine. You must rest while you have the chance, Nessa; you will be chasing after those boys again soon enough."

Nessa smiled; "They have had me at my wits end as of late. Always getting into everything." Teyla gave her a last smile before moving on to her next charge. Once she'd finished making rounds, she headed back to the campfire, warming her hands over the blaze. One of the doctors noticed her shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked. She was freezing, actually, which was strange, because Teyla didn't think she should have gotten cold that fast.

"I will be fine," she replied. He handed her a second jacket anyway.

"We don't need any more patients." She obediently slipped the garment on over top of her team jacket.

Beckett approached them, having just left one of the children's tents. "A few of the girls are asking for you," he told Teyla. "I think they want a story to help with going to sleep." She smiled to herself, remembering the nights in Atlantis when all of the children would crowd into John's room for a bedtime story. She didn't have quite as colorful of tales as the city's military leader, but had a few things to share.

* * *

Marta, a girl only a couple years older than Jinto, had somehow managed to get both her younger sister and cousin on one cot with her, and all three girls were eagerly waiting for Teyla in their tent. "I was told you wanted to hear a story?" she said as she sat on the floor beside them.

"They do not believe that you have been on one of the Ancestors' ships," Marta told her.

"You mean the Aurora?"

Marta's sister, Alana, nodded. "It really is true?"

"Yes, it is. The Aurora was a great ship of the Ancestors many, many years ago."

"What happened to it?" Kailee asked.

Teyla smiled. "Its crew had been trying to get home for a very long time…"

* * *

By the time the hunting parties finally got finished with cleaning and storing everything, darkness was beginning to fall. "Would you like something to eat?" Halling asked Ronon as they walked back toward the main part of the settlement. He nodded.

"Sounds good to me."

Most of the medical team was also trying to get some dinner at the main campfire. "Where's Teyla?" Ronon asked Beckett as he noticed she was absent from the group.

"Tending to a few of the children who were having some difficulty going to sleep."

"Has she eaten?"

"We were going to take back a plate for her."

Ronon took the plate that was being offered to him. "I'll do it."

Beckett shook his head. "You'd risk being infected."

"Then give me one of those mask-things."

Ronon knew he was taking a pretty stupid gamble, but some gut feeling told him that going to find Teyla NOW was going to be important. As he approached the children's quarantine tents, he realized where that sense had come from. A brown-haired figure was sprawled on the ground, unconscious. The plate was dropped to the ground as Ronon ran to her side. As he felt for her pulse, he realized that she was burning up.

"Doctor!"

* * *

TBC... 


	7. Chapter 6

Beckett took Teyla's temperature twice because he didn't believe the device the first time. He and another doctor got her into a tent and out of the multiple extra layers of clothes she'd been wearing while someone else went to get water and more supplies. Beckett finally noticed Ronon in the corner of the tent, silently watching them.

"You should go back," he told the ex-runner, who didn't budge.

"I'm not leaving her." And Beckett knew that wasn't up for debate.

"Fine," he shot back, "But you will be hearing an 'I told you so' if you get sick as well." Ronon decided he could live with that.

"She's barely breathing," the other doctor pointed out. Beckett knelt to check for himself.

"Bloody…She's probably been sick most of the day and just kept going."

"She might have had a fever before," one of the med techs realized. "She was shivering, and I thought it was because she was outside, but…"

Beckett nodded. "Moving around increased her temperature even more and resulted in febrile seizures. We need to get her temperature down and make sure she stays oxygenated. If you're going to stand there," he directed at Ronon, "Wet some rags so we can place them on her."

He nodded. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Beckett looked up at him. "I honestly don't know."

* * *

Teyla was unconscious most of the night, but briefly became semi-conscious early in the morning. She knew that someone was with her, but just couldn't figure out who. 

"Is everyone all right?" she managed to ask, feeling a cool rag being placed on her forehead.

"They're fine. Don't worry."

"W-what happened?"

"Shush. It'll be okay, just go back to sleep." And as much as she wanted to ask more questions, her body didn't give her that option.

Ronon sat back as he watched Teyla's eyes close again. He hadn't ever thought that he'd have to use to word 'fragile' to describe her, but at that moment, it was a fitting description. So far, they'd only had one very young child and one very old man fall victim to the virus, but no one else had developed as bad of a fever as Teyla's. She was always the strong one, taking care of everything, but now someone else had to take care of her.

"How is she?" Beckett sleepily asked as he came in the tent.

"She woke up for a minute."

"Was she lucid?"

"She asked about how everyone else was doing."

Beckett nodded. "Aye, that's Teyla. I don't suppose you were planning on getting some rest?"

"Not tonight, Doc."

"Didn't think so."

* * *

After two days of the bedside vigil, though, Ronon finally did succumb to sleep for a few hours. Teyla awakened to see him sitting on the floor beside her, his head resting on the edge of her cot. She smiled at the sight, reaching to brush his hair away from his face. He instantly shot awake, catching her wrist in his hand on instinct. 

"Good morning," Teyla whispered.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Just a few moments."

"How do you feel?"

"Like a Puddle Jumper landed on top of me…How long was I asleep?"

"A couple of days." She processed that.

"How are the others doing?"

"Recovering. You're the one who really gave us a scare."

"I will try not to do it again in the future," she replied with a little grin. Ronon couldn't help but return it. Beckett hadn't seen her yet, but he knew that Teyla was going to be okay. He'd stayed, he'd taken care of her, and she really was going to be okay.

Teyla noticed how quiet and contemplative he'd become. "What is the matter?" she asked.

"I…Promise me something."

"All right."

"Don't ever stop fighting…Living's too important."

She watched him for a moment, trying to decipher what was going on behind his eyes. She had a feeling this went farther than just her getting sick, but wasn't going to pry. "I promise," she finally said. "I do not know any other way to live." That got a little smile out of him.

Sitting up slightly, Teyla leaned over and kissed him. "What was that for?" Ronon quietly asked as she pulled back.

She smiled. "Living. One step at a time."


	8. Epilogue

A few days later, John was waiting in the Jumper back when the medical team returned from the mainland. Elizabeth been getting regular reports from Beckett every evening, so they hadn't been in the dark, but everyone was glad to see that the crisis was over.

Teyla looked a little pale and tired as she came out of the jumper, and Sheppard was amused to see that before he could step over to help her, Ronon did it. "You feeling better?" John asked. She nodded.

"Not good enough for active duty," Beckett interjected. "We'll see how you're doing in a few days."

"Does the training room count as active duty?" Ronon asked.

Beckett gave him a look. "If you're in it as well, then yes." Teyla smiled at his dejected look.

"Perhaps you can spar with John instead," she suggested. Ronon chuckled at the thought, but Beckett just rolled his eyes.

"I suppose I should get the ice packs ready now," he said as he and the other doctors left for the infirmary.

"Hey!" John tried to protest, but it fell on deaf ears. "Welcome back," he called after Teyla as she and Ronon also began to leave.

"Thank you. It is good to be back."

John frowned as he watched them go, Ronon's arm around Teyla to help her stand. Helping teammates was one thing, but…

* * *

"I think that must have been one interesting week on the mainland," John told Elizabeth as he came into her office. She looked up from her tablet PC. 

"Why?"

He sat on the edge of her desk. "Let's just say that two members of my team are unusually touchy-feely."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "You're going to keep that to yourself, though, aren't you?"

"Are you kidding me? McKay and I are going to have a field day with this one!"

"I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate the same treatment if the situation were reversed."

"Yeah, but it's not…" he tried to argue.

She gave him a Look. "Where are you sleeping tonight, Colonel?"

John sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Fin. Hope you enjoyed. Feedback is much appreciated. 


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